Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron is a twisted sapphic fairy tale. Sophie lives in a land where Prince Charming and Cinderellas’ story is true, but Cinderella and Prince Charming are dead and she lives in a controlling society where women must find husbands and be quiet. Sophie doesn’t want a husband, she’s in love with her best friend but they know they can’t be together. On the night of a ball for women to find husbands Sophie runs and defies the current king.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, is a story about an African-American 16-year-old girl named Starr Carter. Starr is stuck balancing living in a poor run-down neighborhood and attending an upper-class prep school in the suburbs. But everything goes even more downhill when she witnesses her best friend Khalil getting murdered by a police officer. Khalil was unarmed and hadn’t done anything that would cause him to get killed.
This beautifully written 19th-century classic follows the adventures of the four March sisters as they transition into womanhood; Margaret (Meg), Josephine (Jo), Elizabeth (Beth), and Amy. Meg is portrayed as a beautiful, delicate young lady who dreams of a life of luxury. Jo is shown as a headstrong, tomboyish person with a heartfelt desire to write her own book someday. Beth is an innocent, sweet soul who only wishes for happiness. Amy is a romantic (though somewhat spoiled) girl who longs for a life as an artist.
They Went Left by Monica Hesse is a powerful historical fiction novel set in the aftermath of World War II. The story follows Zofia, a young Holocaust survivor searching for her younger brother, Abek, who got separated from her during the liberation of Auschwitz. As she navigates through the ruins of war-torn Europe, Zofia grapples with the trauma of her past and the uncertainty of her future.
Stanley, a 14 year old boy was wrongly accused and sent to Camp Green Lake. Camp was not how it was expected to be, Every day he had to do holes six feet deep and six feet wide for no reason. There, he becomes friends with Zero to break the 150 year old curse on his family.
It’s been ten years since Laurel Mack’s daughter, Ellie, went missing. It has also taken ten years for the police force to find any evidence linked to Ellie’s disappearance which included clothing, a passport, and Ellie’s human remains that had been presumably run over by a car. Laurel decided ten years ago that Ellie had run away even though she had the perfect life. As Laurel forces herself to move on, she meets Floyd, a man she met at a diner who was divorced and had two daughters of his own.
The Woman in Cabin 10 features Laura “Lo” Blacklock who has been suffering sleepless nights due to paranoia as a result of a robbery in her house. Laura has also been offered a trip on the Aurora, a luxurious cruise ship that would survey the northern lights, which Laura’s work as a journalist focuses on. She decides to go for hope that a small vacation will soothe her paranoia. On the Aurora, there are other passengers with interests of their own, as well those who may not have right intentions.
The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley is a heartwarming historical fiction novel set during World War II. The story revolves around ten-year-old Ada Smith, who lives in London with her abusive mother and is confined to their small apartment due to a clubfoot deformity. When the government evacuates children from the city to protect them from bombings, Ada seizes the opportunity to escape her cruel mother and joins her younger brother, Jamie, on a journey to the countryside.
